Curse
by ZanKha
Summary: The lands are devastated... the Hero is missing... Nothing is the same when the dead bodies are swarming from everywhere. And Shadow the Hedgehog must find the cause of this sudden apocalypse, either trusting the vampire that is playing with him or let the lives of many perish... SONADOW
1. Chapter 1

One day… every changed…  
Our world became hell...  
And we were left without help… because... our Heros vanished from the surface of the earth…  
But we... the ones, who are still alive, weren't left alone for long...  
Different times... just need different Heroes...

A young panda was trying his best to keep silence while passing the dark streets of the abandoned city, known in its past glory as Station Square. The city was in ruins, no wonder; there wasn't anybody who could take care of it. The cars and other belongings were left alone on the street, in a way that you could tell that their owners were in hurry whatever their reason was. But if you want to know, you could see a similar sign like this in other cities as well.

So what made the city look like this? What was the reason?

The boy was making his way by using the cars and other debris as his cover. This place was new for him. He knew that he shouldn't have entered it, but the need to get some supplies before the upcoming winter was bigger. His mother and the only other person that he have ever seen, told him before she died, that he has to stay away from places like this. He didn't understand why she had forbidden him to go to a city and as far he didn't notice anything dangerous. Was she laying to him all this time?

Then he made a mistake...  
While wandering in his thoughts he stood on pieces of glass, making a quite loud noise. The young one has frozen in his tracks. Nothing happened... He didn't hear anything... He decided to go farther, till he heard a howl... Or rather howls that didn't belong to animals... He turned around and there were those hideous creatures...  
There were humans and as well Mobians between them. Parts of their limbs were missing or hanging loosely on the remaining gray ill skin. Their guts were also on sight, reaped apart or being consumed by worms and other disgusting small creatures. Some of them had still their eyes... dead dulled eyes, but mostly there were two bloody dried holes...  
They were zombies, ghouls and so on... And those are only few of the names how you could name them and while having different abilities, they shared one common thing, they were all DEAD.

This world was cursed with the disease that made people turn into undead. Nobody discovered where and how it started, nobody could find the cure. Only one bite of an undead and you become one of them. That's how the cities have fallen... How we have fallen...

The young panda has never seen the living dead with his eyes, but from his mother's stories he knew that he was in deep troubles. They were getting closer... He was actually surrounded by them, with no way out, but it didn't matter... If he tries to move, they will notice him immediately, attack and probably eat him alive... He will be dead sooner or later... and also one of them...

When he was preparing for the worst, somebody yelled the words such as 'chaos spear' and then a light had passed by him. Before he could do a thing he was forced to the ground, and the person told him to be silent. He could hear gunshots and other explosions. He noticed that the one above him also had a gun, but wasn't using it at the moment. So, that meant that someone else was actually fighting with the undead.  
His protector was a rabbit girl, about twenty years old. She was wearing an uniform that covered all her body parts, except her head. She smiled at him when she saw the frightened stare and whispered that everything will be okay.

After a while everything went silent. You wouldn't notice that there was a battle if not the lying, burning bodies of the undead and the lonely black figure with gun weapons standing in the middle of them. The person turned and walked in their direction and in the dark you could see only his red piercing eyes. When he approached them it became clear that the shadowy figure was a black and red striped hedgehog with a contrasting white chest fur on his ebony furry body.

- Clear? – the girl asked him. And she received a nod from the hedgehog.  
She stood up and helped the little one under her protection, to his leg.  
- Cream, we have to change our plans...  
- Shadow! If you mean that getting back to the headquarters and abandoning our mission only because we found a survivor, you're wrong! – she interrupted him.  
- So what's your idea, kid? – he smirked. – We can't go there with him and we can't leave him alone.

The girl went silent and lost in her thoughts. The hedgehog knew that she would find out a good solution to their little problem. If not, he had a ready plan. But after all if she's going to be his field partner, he has to give her tasks that would help her prove in his eyes. Otherwise it would mean that she's not ready for it, for the war.  
He trusted Cream; if somebody was going to be his partner it was her.

As Shadow was waiting, he looked at the girl; he noticed how much she changed... Cream became a beautiful woman, with the appearance that made most of the males in the base drooling or even having nose bleeds and she only needed to pass by them. The rabbit matured also mentally. She was no longer the same girl that needed protection, now she was the one who was fighting, keeping other people's safety. The sad thing was only that she had to grow up very fast, leaving her childhood behind. And to do that she had to face the death of her best friend Amy, who died in a mysterious way... Cream was the one who found her body...  
After that the girl locked herself from everyone, blaming Amy's death as her fault, that she didn't stop the pink stubborn hedgehog from leaving their hideout. It was like that for a month, but then one day something crucial happened that changed Cream. Nobody was expecting that...

She left her self declared prison and went straight to Shadow. The next thing that the ebony hedgehog knew was that he was forced into training Cream, in fighting skills and wielding weapons, and surprisingly the girl was very good in it.  
He liked those memories, but in them there was the thing that was making Shadow returning back to the event with Amy. The pink hedgehog was probably the only person that wasn't killed by zombies, more even, she had a single bite mark on her neck and her body was fully dried from blood...

- Shadow... Hey Shadow! Mr Shadow!  
Suddenly he saw a hand waging in front of his face.  
- Yes, Cream? – he said calmly, hiding his embarrassment. Cream nearly ever used her polite calls nowadays; and if she used that meant that she was really mad.  
- Finally! I was trying to get your attention for five minutes!  
- Humph. – his face took his usual neutral mask – Go on.  
- So... I think that we should split up. I'll take the boy to our base and you go meet with him as planned.  
- You remember how to get there back?  
- Of course! I'm not five years old, you know...  
- Good.

With that said they went in their designated directions. Cream took the boy with her and went back from where she and the hedgehog came from. She didn't have any problems with undead on her way, which was very helpful. The boy was too tired to walk there by himself, so she had to take him on a piggyback ride. Not the best position for aiming a gun on enemies. Won't you agree?

Meanwhile the panda boy was confused. And had many questions like 'What did actually happened here?' and 'Who are those people?!' But before he could ask or do anything more his eyes felt heavy and for the first time in his young life he felt safe and fell into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Shadow was used to this kind of missions, most of the time he did actually work alone. So he didn't mind that Cream left his side. Now he could use his speed, this way avoiding the undead and with them unnecessary battles. The only problem will be that he will have to take her later on another mission that could be more dangerous than this one.  
He had to get to the waterfalls, where was a secret pass which leaded to the person with who he had a meeting. It was a very important meeting, the one that could change the entire situation with the cursed disease.  
He run straight through the falling water and into the tunnel, his run ended in a hall of a hidden laboratory, filled with robots, ready to kill whoever approach. Anyway, Shadow didn't have to worry about them, that they would shoot him or rather he would have to destroy them, because there was this one simple trick. The robots were the first line of defense for the slowest undead, those who couldn't do much more than bite or run a little. So you needed only to jump above the guarding machines, before they would find their target and you were out of their sign. They couldn't turn around after you.  
Then in front of the hedgehog showed up a hologram of the one and only person who was in the past the main threat to the world. Doctor Ivo Robotnik. Who was known as 'Eggman'.

- Doctor...  
- It took you long! Hurry up to the room S-56! I have a busy schedule! – The hologram vanished.

Shadow went to the room that he knew all too well by now. There he was immediately placed on the table and Eggman took his blood samples… like always... All this time from the beginning of the catastrophe, the Doctor was working on a cure for the disease, which was the reason that ruined his plans of taking the world over. And to find it he was using Shadow's blood; especially that the hedgehog was already incapable of becoming a zombie.  
Shadow was the Ultimate Life Form after all, he could be bitten many times while fighting and it didn't bother him, but he still could die from blood lose or if they managed to take hold of him and eat his body's significant parts.  
The problem with making the cure from Shadow's blood was that it was full of chaos energy; it worked quite well as a vaccine on those who had some of chaos in them, but a normal person could die.

- So how is it going? Doctor?  
- And what do you thing you pesky blue hedgehog!

The hedgehog didn't correct the scientist, it was pointless… The Doctor was now quite often mistaking Shadow with the blue hedgehog Sonic, who vanished together with his best friend Tails a year after the first appearance of the undead. Eggman wasn't young anymore, and had some problems with remembering people; it was also the reason why it was taking him so long to make the cure. But at least as much as he was never giving up in his attempts of taking the world, while being beaten by Sonic, he also wasn't stopping now in his researches.

While lying there Shadow's thoughts went to the blue blur. Nobody never ever again seen Sonic or have heard about him. Some people believed that he had just run away, others that he had became a zombie at the begging of this mess. It could be true. After all the cobalt hero wasn't using guns, his weapon was his body...  
The black and red hedgehog didn't know what to think about it. He always believed that he would see Sonic and his friends ageing, getting their families and so on, while he would be always the same, reminding in the shadows, that he would have to look after their graves in the end, when they would die. Instead only Cream, Rouge, Knuckles and Silver were still alive, while the others mysteriously vanished, or were dead.  
He was regretting that he didn't consider the possibility of spending his time with them while they were still alive. He was doing something different, he was avoiding... And now he would probably have to destroy their dead moving bodies when they get in his sight.  
The ebony one was actually afraid that one day he will have to face his blue rival's body… And end its misery.

Why didn't he trust his heart and follow its quiet pleads?! Was he, the Ultimate Life Form afraid of his own feelings?!

Then he was interrupted from his thoughts by a loud beeping sound.

- Doctor? What is this? An alarm?  
- It's nothing! I told you that I'm a busy man! Didn't I?! – the round human shouted.

Eggman seemed to be angry and nervous, something wasn't right in his behavior, but Shadow wasn't the one who could judge him.  
Nobody was the same after the arising of the undead, everybody and everything changed…  
The government doesn't exist anymore especially after the incident in Soleanna in which many lives were lost in the attempts of stopping the march of the zombies… After their disastrous decision, the cities became graves, families were torn apart and the planets population decreased. Now there weren't more than 5% of living beings.

- Shadow! Take this vaccine and go! You're disturbing me and my work!  
- Is it going to work? Doctor?  
- I don't know! I don't have any rodents to test it on them! Do I?! Now leave!

The doctor gave him a tube with a light blue liquid. Eggman hardy ever was giving any of his samples, so it meant that this one could actually work. And with that the survivors would be able to resist the dead ones without the fear of becoming a zombie. It would be really helpful. Their enemies were hard to 'kill'. You could cut and shoot them and they still were after you. The only way to fight them was by burning their bodies, but the climate of the planet changed as well and it was always raining, was cold and damp, flames couldn't fully take the rotting corpses.

When Shadow left Eggman's base, the elderly man went in hurry to the room, where his guest was already awaiting him. He had hopes with this person. Big hopes! When he for the first time had found out about this person, he couldn't believe it!  
A real vampire! And more! The Vampire King!  
Eggman managed to make a contract with this mysterious being, that if he would help the vampire he would gain as his reward immortality by becoming a vampire as well. Who would not take this opportunity? After all dying from elderly age wasn't something that the mad scientist dreamt about. He still didn't fulfill his dreams!

The doctor entered the room… and had to experience shock...  
There on his favorite armchair was sitting the one who he believed that was supposed to be a meal for the underground creatures. Instead was sitting comfortably and drinking vine. There were also some zombies gathered around, sitting like guarding dogs near their master.

- You! It can't be! You're the Vampire King?!

The round man asked with his trembling voice, while rubbing his eyes in disbelieve. The Vampire King was no other that the blue hedgehog, the missing hero of this world Sonic!

- Hey Eggman! Long time no see! – he said in his cocky voice.  
- You are a vampire?!  
- Yup! I'm a vampire!  
- But it's impossible! It must be a lie!

The elderly man was by now running all over the room, holding his head with both hands and shouting 'lie' here and there. That is… to the moment when he was roughly punched in the face and knocked off his feet. When Eggman managed to look back at his attacker he saw a furious being with bloody red eyes and its vampire fangs fully apparent.

The hedgehog then noticed the frightened stare of the human, and got back to his previous cheerful posture. His eyes also changed back to their well known green color. Seeing that his claws were in Eggman's blood, he licked them.

- Mmm, your blood isn't too tasty… – the hedgehog turned to the doctor. – So, can we discuss your reward? Or you prefer to make some more laps?  
- You really are a vampire!  
- Don't start it again. Did you make the vaccine that I told you to do?  
- Yes, two tubes, like we agreed.  
- Good where is it?  
- In my black suitcase. So you'll change me into a vampire?

Silent almost fell in the room if not the sounds made by Sonic's zombies, that all this time were waiting for something… And then a dark chuckle made its place…

- Eggman. I know you for quite a long time. You're always changing sides and also you're always being tricked…  
- What do you mean by that?!

Then dead hands took hold over the old human's body. It happened so fast that he didn't have even the time to blink. Those zombies weren't the normal ones… They were called as runners, fast and deadly creatures, still having the flexibility like while being alive. And now the doctor was trapped by them.

- What!? What are you doing?!  
- Calm down, will ya. I promised you a bite, didn't I?  
- But why are they holding me like this?!  
- Eggman… Eggman… Eggman… I didn't say that it will be my bite…  
Now the doctor's face went pale and he started to sweat and panic.  
- But! You can't! You promised me! You're a hero! You can't kill me!  
- But Eggman, I'm not a hero anymore… I'm a vampire! I've changed…

With that the hedgehog left the room to look after the vaccine. While passing the corridors he could hear screams of horror and agony mixed together with the sound of chewing…  
Sonic the hedgehog took care of Eggman once and for all…


	3. Chapter 3

The heavy clouds were covering the sky, hiding it from people's eyes for about month or even longer as far... Awaiting the time to start their sorrowful cry, but it was still too soon... Meantime, under them, a lonely figure was running, leaving a blur behind. He was passing the meadows in a speed that you could only dream about... Having only one thought in his mind… Get to his destination as fast as possible before being caught in the rain. Then he saw it and gave a sigh of relieve. He spotted the black shape of a building on the grey landscape.

The castle.

It was a huge lonely construction with towers, made of black stone, which was giving it a horrible, dark look, almost like from a horror movie. It was separated from the land by the lake, moat more precisely. Only the drawbridge was connecting it with mainland. And because of this 'advantage' he and his friends had to choose it as their headquarters. It was the best what the princes of Soleanna could offer them in that time. On the other hand it was just comical that the same thing that was stopping them from burning, destroying the monsters was also giving them shelter by keeping the undeads away. If only it hadn't been water...  
He was living in the castle for a month by now, but he couldn't name it as 'home sweet home'... No... Even as he was approaching it he could feel goose bumps forming under his fur; he had the impression that one day something bad happens there... But now the package has to be delivered. There was no place for being scared; it was the case of live and death, after all...  
He stopped on the other side of the lake, hoping that nothing would attack him from behind. His friend's duty was to open the gates for him, and then he would run inside and together lift it back. Everything had to be on time; otherwise he would be left outside to the next designated hour. And the night was falling fast... together with the undeads hunting time...  
Then the old wood landed with a thud in front of him, and without a second thought he made a sprint and got inside. There he had to adjust his eyes to the bright light. In it, it was clear that he was a blue hedgehog, known as Sonic, named that way because of his speed.  
Not long and he found his friend struggling with the lever and with his two tails madly wagging behind in the futile attempts of moving the mechanism again. Because of those tails, the fox was called as Tails. He was ten years old, but for his age he was quite mature and what's the most important, he was a great mechanic and scientist that could be easy matched with the world's bests, even with Eggman, if counting as an evil man instead of mad.

The hedgehog smiled seeing his 'little bro' and stood beside him, taking a hold on the old, rusted object. Together they moved it and the heavy iron gates finally got closed. After that the two of them fell on their bottoms, exhausted.  
The fox smiled back weakly to the hedgehog and said "I should upgrade this one day... It's starting to annoy me." But there was no time for it. Both of them knew that.  
Sonic looked at Tails with worry. The young one wasn't leaving his laboratory almost at all, being involved in the search for a way to stop the disease. Without sleep and probably skipping meal times the fox could faint at any moment. Even Sonic's pleads for him to get some rest weren't stopping the stubborn one. And now the Fastest Thing Alive was going to add something that would keep Tails even more in those researches.  
"I got them... as you wanted... But please, Tails, go take a nap before working" he said with concern. Even if the world was depending on his little brother's success, Sonic's duty was to take care for the fox and his health. This meant that he will even tie Tails to the bed to make him go to sleep and give his body the much awaited rest, if there were any resists.

"Okay. I'll take them only to my office and go to bed." "You promise?" Sonic took out a package from his quills and passed it to the other's hands. "Of course... And when did you stopped trust me, Sonic?" he asked tiredly, while opening the box. In it he saw the two Chaos Emeralds; he would use them later to power up his inventions. After that Tails nodded saying 'goodnight' and left the blue one alone in the hallway.  
Not having anything important to do, Sonic decided to fill his empty, hungry tummy, so he went to the kitchen. There after hours of searching, he somehow found the hidden chilidogs supplies. By now he could eat hundreds of them, but he had to restrict himself. With every day it was harder to get food, so he can't have as much as he would like to. Well… even one chilidog was worth his attention… He didn't have them for quite a long time.

Zombies on the loose, so every living being had to go underground, find a place that could give them security. Only few had a chance to move on the dangerous grounds, but always with some fear… And Sonic was one of them.  
The hedgehog was too fast for the moving corpses, but it didn't mean that he was safe. While delivering the significant packages for Tails he couldn't stand still and have a break. Otherwise he would end like all the victims…  
For the Hero of this world it was a checkmate situation. He was able only to dodge and run. Trying to attack the undeads was like throwing his life away. And it was a miracle that he was still alive, after all he wasn't a patient person… If not his other friend, the red Echidna Knuckles, Sonic would be a zombie, the same day they faced for the first time with the monsters.  
Not being able to attack, Sonic felt quite useless. People entrusted him with hope that he'll save them and the world, but the small delivering missions was all that he could do for now. There was the proposition that he should go super and try to defeat the March of The Living Dead… If not the little problem, that was with the seven Chaos Emeralds. Something had happen with them and they weren't manifesting the energy for the transformation. Even now you needed more than one emerald to make them useful, their power was just low. No one knew what was going one with them, even the Guardian and the spirits of the Master Emerald…

The hedgehog put his favorite food to the microwaves; the castle was quite good equipped in electrical devices despite being outdated. Now he had to wait for it to get warm, but it wasn't an easy task. Sonic's eyes were closing themselves. It was already past midnight... "I hope Tails is already asleep. I want just go and hit the bed after eating" he thought not being in the mood of visiting the lower floors. But if he had decided to go in that time, he wouldn't make the biggest mistake in his life…

On the other side of the lake a silent army of undead gathered… Then a black fog flew over it and the calm water, stopping in front of the castle's gate. Then it formed to a hedgehog like shape with green eyes of a snake. "Pathetic creatures…" it darkly chuckled. "They think that it could stop me?! They so wrong…" it merged again with the darkness and using the gaps in the old wood, it got inside. There with a shadow claw he cut through the metal lever and the bascule bridge fell down. The zombies started to walk on the bridge, getting closer to the castle's walls. The shadowy figure looked at his work and on the castle. He was satisfied. "I like this place." Not only he'll get his revenge, but also receive the castle, that was matching his tastes and if everything will go as planned maybe something more, he will get…

The clear water was running in the kitchen, because the dishes were being cleaned after the meal by their user. It was a boring task, but needed… "Why didn't I wash them up earlier?" Sonic grumbled with disgust. Some of the silverwares were from a week, so the remnants of various substances were hard to get off.

Then a harsh dark voice disturbed the room's peace. "Enjoyed your last meal?" it asked, making Sonic drop the glass and break it into small pieces. The hedgehog quickly turned around and stood in a battle stance with his quills raised, but didn't see anything. "Was that my imagination? I must be really tired…" he shook his head. Only he and Tails were living in this castle at the moment, the rest of his friend were helping somewhere else. Suddenly two hands formed behind him and almost got a hold over his body, if not the blue ones reflex. He dodged them and moved away to a safe distance. "Who and what are you!" "I'm someone who seeks for revenge, someone that you've known before the time has been reversed" it said vanishing, which made Sonic blink his eyes several times in disbelieve. "Hey! Where did you go?! Show yourself!" he shouted back taking a step forward, but then the lights went out, leaving him only with the dim light of the moon.

"Mephiles the Dark" Sonic's ears twitched in distress when the other's voice like ice reached his hearing, but he couldn't find the source where was it coming from. Then he was yanked back by his arm and forced into a fog. Something took a hold of him and pulled his chin up forcing to look into the cold, demonic like eyes. Sonic was in the grip of a hedgehog that looked like his rival Shadow, if not the different colors and lack of mouth. The hero felt like being frozen in the spot. For some reason his legs weren't listening to him, he also wasn't able to struggle and that was even more putting him in a stance of panic. "What? What do you want?" Sonic managed to say, thinking why he was so afraid, why he wasn't fighting back… 'What a hero I am? Fearing Zombies and now Shadow's copy?'

His attention got back to the one who was holding him. "I have an interest in you and your little friend, which was so close with inventing the cure…" Mephiles said, while playing with Sonic's quills. The blue one could only shiver from the touch, not liking the strange beings attention towards him. 'But wait? Did he just mention Tails?'  
A cry went through the stone corridors, a cry for help... "Sonic!" it was his brother's yell. That was what the blue hedgehog needed to compel his legs to work again. He kicked his captor, throwing him to the wall, and run downstairs to the dungeons, where screams for help were coming from.  
"Sonic the Hedgehog..." Mephiles lifted himself from the floor and became one with the darkness "Our little game of Life and Death just started..."

In no time Sonic got to Tails laboratory, there he found his friend fighting with the undeads. The fox was surrounded from all sides; luckily he was in his famous plane Tornado, in the mecha mode. But the fight was in his laboratory, he couldn't use his ammunition. All his work was in here, he couldn't risk destroying it... Still, the brothers were going to have difficulties... The machine was using the backup energy, so in any moment it may stop working and of course it had to happen while their fight. The machine stopped and fell down. The hungry ghouls threw on the pilot's cockpit, with the attempt of getting to the fresh flesh. And the glass broke...

Meantime while being quiet, the two alive made their escape. Their situation didn't belong to the brightest ones. The castle was taken over; they didn't have any better choice than to run outside, retreat before the deads would sense them, and to do that they can't make any loud noises.  
When they were far away in the forest, they could at last take a breath of relieve. "Nice one little bro, but you got me worried back there" "Sorry for that, but with those mutated zombies, it was the only way" Tails said. He had to eject from his plane in the air, using the empty Tornado as a distraction to flee with Sonic out of there. Zombies weren't smart, they are using reminds of instinct. Loud sounds, scent were the impulses to attract them.

The two heroes noticed that this time the zombies were organized. The attack was planed, the dead creatures somehow knew were to go and it seemed that they were after Tails. Also the zombies were much more different from those previously ones. This time they were faster and more deadly in their attacks, the sharp teeth could break through the gun proved glass... Tails had only one theory for that, those zombies were specially created, mutated and someone was pulling the strings.  
The fox sat under the hollow tree; he looked at his older brother and remembered something. "Sonic?" "Yes Tails?" the hedgehog turned his attention from the view of the castle on the fox. "It was bothering me for a while... I was shouting for your help for quite a time and you weren't responding. Why it took you so long?" "Really? That's strange... But there was this creepy guy, so maybe he had done something... Which reminds me; he said that you were close with finding the cure. You got it, right?" "Yes. Although it's not ready, but who knows..."  
Tails took out a flask and looked at the substance in it. Might it be the first one that could actually work? Well, this was the only one that he managed to catch before the attack. He can work on it in G.U.N's laboratory, but still the Chaos Emerald's were left behind... And the mysterious person was also bothering his mind...  
Then the lighting crashed a nearby tree, flashing the night's dark cloudy sky. In it Tails saw them, gathered all around them, and one with his mouth with the blooded, decayed fangs near Sonic's left arm, not aware about the danger. No wonder even the Mother Nature or the gods seemed to be against them, by hiding the presence of the zombies for so long, while making the thunder sounds.  
One fast move and it happened. The zombie bite and its fangs cut the soft skin... Sonic was lying on the ground with shock plastered on his face. Instead of him the one who was bitten was Tails, who saved him by offering himself. The corpse, like a hungry shark snatched the piece of meat form the young ones body, chewing it, blood trickling from its mouth. The fox backed away weakly and fell; he was pale by now from sickness that started to work on his body. The medicine that he created shattered on the ground...  
Sonic crawled, while trembling and took Tails in his arms. His tears started to fall on the fox's forelock, together with the cold rain from the clouds, which were suffering along with him… "Tails... Tails! It should be me not you. Why did you do that..." he said while sobbing, not believing in what was happening. 'How could he be so distracted?' The fox's breathes were getting harder, but he wasn't going to let them stop him from reassuring his friend. "Sonic... It's not your fault... Nobody was prepared... for... them... Even you..."

Again, Sonic heard the now hated by him voice. "Well, what do we have here? A new zombie to my collection, how nice..." Mephiles laughed, while forming into his hedgehog form, with the wall of zombies behind him. They were waiting for his sign. Hungry as never, smelling the blood in air... "But what is it? It takes him longer to become one of them?" That made Sonic to look with his reddened eyes on reminds of the glass; it seemed that some of the substance made contact with Tails's skin; it was partially working… so there was the chance of saving him... but if he soon doesn't make a move, the small ray of hope will perish.  
Unfortunately, the attacker predicted his move. Before Sonic could do something he was pinned to the ground by Mephiles's dark energy. "I know you too well… I won't let you run away. I need you, hedgehog, in my plans… and about your little friend…" Above the fox appeared a dark sphere of energy… Sonic's eyes went wide… and then…

A scream pierced through the silent night… Its owner by now was taking deep breathes, to calm his body and mind…  
"Again…" the lonely figure in the darkened throne room said. "It was a dream, again…" he wiped the sweat from his forehead. When he raised his head, you could see his green emerald eyes with tears in the corners that were shining in the dark room lightened by the single candle… Then they caught the presence of the demon from their nightmare. "Mephiles…" he hissed the name with venom in his voice. The other one made only a ghastly sound of amusement, before forming his body. "Sonic, the Vampire King… Do you have what I requested from you to gain?" he asked with a slight demand. "Yes…" the vampire directed with his hand on the glass table that was by him. And on it there was the black suitcase that belonged to Eggman. The Darkness made its way to it and opened. There he found the flasks of the 'cure for the zombie's disease'. There were two of them…  
He took them out and faced with anger the hedgehog on the throne. "There are only two! Where's the third one?!" "That's all that I got from Egghead..." the blue one said not bothering his head, nor looking at the furious demon. Then Sonic felt a hand pressing on his throat to the back of his seat. But he wasn't in shape for fighting back, neither there was the need to fear, after all Mephiles still needed him… "Pathetic creature… You do not fear me?! So, you won't mind if I do that…" One of the glasses was broken in his hand. The substance fell on the floor and melted into the marble floor. "No!" Sonic screamed. He needed it… and if the last one would be destroyed then… "Only one left… if you want it, do as I say. Go and find the third one whenever it is and destroy, and then I'll give you this one."

And the last flask was in Shadow's possession…


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Shadow got back from Eggman's hideout it was dawn over the cursed lands, the safest hour of all as the sun could finally show from under the heavy rain clouds, even if it was for few minutes. He skipped to a halt in front of the base's gates covered under debris and plants' roots and after checking his position he moved his hand above the metallic surface and found the hidden button. A small passage was opened within and he got inside.

The ebony hedgehog didn't bothered his mind with lighting up his way as he could easily see it in the darkness thanks to his superior origin. Other than that it was easier to adjust his eyes back to the artificial light that was at the end of the passage. After entering the base he finally met with the joyful sound of live that was missing behind the gates.

This place could be named as heaven, being the one of the last were Mobians and Humans reminded living their lives like before the whole chaos started or at least trying to... It had food and medical supplies, as well weapons. Its previous facility was for training G.U.N's recruits, so the building had to be prepared for swarms of new students, their superiors, soldiers and scientists of all kind.

But now in those quarters were living civilians instead of the young soldiers as they fell on the battlefield leaded by the previous G.U.N Commander.

Now they had a new Commander, to whom Shadow had to give his report from the mission.

Once the light brighten his ebony fur, every child close by clung to his body begging for his attention.

He didn't know when it happened that he became more social that in the past, but after the disappearance of the Blue Speedster's he had to take the role of the Hero and with it seems the popularity. Of course, Shadow didn't change his attitude that radically and went all goody good, step by step he let the young ones cuddle into his chest fur while they were crying their eyes off after the loss of their families. Other day, take part in his training sessions that soon became self-defence lessons for all willing... and so on. But that were children, they didn't know what he truly was and that he twice wanted to destroy their world. As for the adults they did remember, so it took more time to gain their trust. Maybe it a little bit helped the fact that the G.U.N's Commander irrational decision opened their eyes.

Somehow the Ultimate Life Form managed to get free from under the happy children and from sight of the spectators, having the joy of their life seeing him struggling to get free his leg from the hold of the new panda kid, the same that he and Cream saved some hours ago.

He left the main halls and went to the upper levels passing others on the way. They didn't disturb him as they could feel that the Ultimate Life Form was in no mood. Good, because he wanted to just get the work done and hit the sack before somebody would try to attack or need his help.

So when he got in front of his Commander's office he didn't thought twice and opened the door.

There he saw the new Commander making out on the work desk. The two lovers didn't notice him at first, not even when he coughed.

"I presume I should have knocked" he said gaining finally their attention. The Commander's partner shot up from their position and with a false attempt of hiding his blush, while calming his breath he passed Shadow in the door way, "I'm going back to Crystal and the Master Emerald, Rouge", he said making an eye contact with the striped hedgehog warning him about not telling anybody what he had seen. The slam of the door as the sign he left.

So yes, the new G.U.N Commander was no other that Rouge the Bat, the previous jewel thief and now also the wife of the Echidna Knuckles, with whom she had a daughter Crystal. But more important she was Shadow's best friend.

After the G.U.N Commander died on the battlefield, she was the one who managed to take control over the shattered troops. With her decision of evacuating the civilians and retreat the reminding army, more casualties were avoided. Later by vote she was chosen as the new Commander and with it she started wearing more proper cloths for her new position instead of the black suit with the pink hearted breastplate. Rouge didn't really mind the changes as she found out that Knuckles just loves women in uniforms.

The bat was looking at Shadow with a slight irritated smirk plastered on her face. You could tell that she was furious trying not showing it and it wasn't because being caught in the act, not when the ebony hedgehog had the chance to see her in worse conditions, picking her home from clubs so many times. No. She had a different reason, which will be sorted later...

"So how was your visit, handsome, at old Doc't lair?" she asked, buttoning her shirt, "At least once treated you like a guest with tea and pie?"

Shadow grunted, not amused, "With his most robots off, especially the one which cooked for him, I wouldn't dear eating anything that he cooks for himself now" he said not giving her time for the predictable tease about him fearing the food, instead Shadow moved to her working place and placed the flask with the light blue substance, being the vaccine for the zombie curse. Her eyes went wide seeing it and while he got back to his previous spot near the door, crossing his arms over his chest fur so typical for him, she took the glass in her hand expecting it.

"Is it the final result of his researches?" she looked at Shadow, "Will it really stop spreading the plague on us?"

"I don't know, Rouge. It's all what I got," and nobody truly knew. They've already got twice an unpredictable vaccine that made worse than good. Still they have to hope... thankfully there was always the medical unit, organized specially to check the safety of the substance after the previous disasters.

Suddenly the alarm went on in the base and with it a message was sent to Rouge. She answered it and the screen decloaked from the wall on the opposite side of the room. Immediately it turned on showing up Cream shouting orders to the communication staff.

"What's going on? Are we under attack?" the commander asked, trying to outshout the wailing.

"No. Thankfully no, but we got a stress call from the Doctor's base, something must have gone wrong over there," she paused to give more orders, "Get that alarm off!" Then she looked back to Rouge noticing something, "Wasn't there Shadow with you?"

Using the occasion the Ultimate Life Form sneaked out of Rouge's office and made his way to the base entrance avoiding others who were taking their positions with weapons in hand, still not knowing what the reason for the alarm was to go on. The confusion was what he needed to get out, if he wanted to get on time to Eggman's hideout before it was too late.

Still he didn't predict one obstacle on his way.

"And where do you think you're going Mr Shadow?" It was Cream wearing her battle suit and full equipment, standing in front of him with her hands speared, blocking the way and seeming quite angry, till she sighed "Without me."

After the initial shock that she managed to catch up to him in such a short time, knowing the havoc that he left behind, Shadow noticed that the alarm was silenced as well. It meant that not only Cream joined him, but as well took good care of her duties at the communication post. He could only smirk at his best student, "Hop on."

A black blur became a hedgehog and a rabbit as Shadow stopped sharply not far from the Doctor's base. They checked their position and surroundings. There weren't any zombies around; still it could mean that some of them were inside. Cream took out her gun from the holster at her thigh and reloaded. Then she nodded with her determined brown eyes to the crimson ones of Shadow's.

They entered the tunnel aware of zombies that could be lurking in the dark, however nothing came. The whole way was like this undisturbed and silent as the both alive had the ability to move undetected. One thing was sure, it smelled with dead in the cramped space, but it could be because of the undeads reminds that caught in gun fire thanks to the trap like passage.

Shadow and Cream jumped above the robots line that missed to shot them when they were in front of their sensors and went further.

Finally they got to the door that few hours ago Shadow was passing twice and the ebony hedgehog leaded them straight to the command room.

They didn't have to look much after the Doctor, not when they found the big dried blood strain left on the floor that some of it they've seen on their way here. Eggman became one of the zombies and had moved out of the room, probably now was wandering somewhere in his own base looking after fresh meat.

Not wasting much time Cream sat in front of the control panel.

"I'm not that good in hacking, but I'll try to get some info of what happened here," she said, concentrated already on her task.

"Fine, I'll look around, if you find something let me now," he moved to the door and before going he said "Don't get killed while I'm away." The girl only gave him a thumb up, not taking her eyes of the screen. With a soft smile Shadow parted with her.

The Ultimate Life Form checked the rooms in search of the zombies, it was easier to clean up those that managed to get in that leaving such base for waste. He tried to follow the track left by Eggman as the dead ones loved to gather together and attack in groups, but the blood had stopped flowing in those few hours.

'That leaves me thinking that he had to be killed just after I've left, if so why the signal was sent hours later' he thought.

"Shadow" he heard Cream over the communicator "I still can't get in, do you have any idea what could be the password?"

"He wouldn't tell me even if I had asked, Cream. But, knowing how Professor Gerald was in his age I can only tell you that the Doctor could have picked one that was easier to remember for him those days," he got into a next corridor, while talking to Cream, but like most of them so far nothing was unusual.

Suddenly he heard Cream holding her breath on her line, till she sighed with relief, shortly followed with an ironical laugh.

"Guess, what the password was?"

"Don't tell me that Maria again..." Shadow's ear moved for better hearing as he got interested.

"Sonic," she simply stated. It was hard for the Hero's friends to talk about him, especially that he must have been dead.

Shadow waited a little, before asking what she had found and when he did they were quite surprised.

It seemed that the control room wasn't monitored at all, as Eggman thought that nothing would manage to get as far into his base as there, other than that the scientist had an unexpected guest. From the record the rabbit girl saw that someone hidden under a capote got inside the base running from the persuading after him zombies, but except that they didn't find much.

"That person must have accidently let the zombies in with the different route escape that Eggman prepared like he mostly does," Cream shared her thought with her mentor. And Shadow had to agree to it not seeing personally the record, the only question was where that person hid.

"Stay in that room, Cream while I try to..." before he managed to end his sentence he was abruptly knocked down to the floor at high speed.

When the dizziness from the force left his mind he noticed the hooded person the same that Cream saw on the record laying on him. Shadow got himself to a sitting position helping the other as well. The person was panting hardly and trembling against the ebony's hedgehog chest in fear as Shadow thought. 'He or she must have been running from the undeads for quite a time'.

"Hey, it is okay, you're safe," he tried to soothe the other Mobian, even if he wasn't that good in it. Instead the covered one grabbed to his white path of fur forcefully and locked his emerald eyes shining under the hood with Shadow's ruby ones. The ebony hedgehog didn't unfortunately had time to have a better look in them as the person half said half shouted in panic into his face, "They're coming! The Runners are coming!"

On instinct, Shadow took the Mobian in his arms and run off from the spot. The other clung to his neck from the sudden burst of wind when the hover skates were activated.

"Cream, I have the civilian, he's being chased by the runners get into a hiding spot, or better get out of here, immediately!" he caught with a glimpse of an eye that the runners started their chase after him, worse that there were four of them. "Damn it."

"But what about you?! I can't leave you!" she wailed, "Let me help you fight them!"

"It's an order, Cream!" he disconnected with her as his voice was surly attracting the zombies.

Normally he would have fought with them; maybe even let Cream in the party, but having an extra weight being the unknown Mobian for such dangerous creatures was out of question. The person's life was priority now. And the best that he could do in this situation was to run out of this place take them as far as possible from Cream and lose them on the way. The only problem was that he didn't know that well this base. Nowise, he definitely was some place different than the medical wing.

There wasn't much place for a sonic boom either and every attempt of getting them of his tail was futile. They were much more intelligent, even communicating with each other as Shadow spotted a while later.

'It must be the new mutation,' he frowned. Thinking about a new plan 'I have to get the Mobian somewhere safe, lock him out of their reach and fight'.

Meanwhile the one in his hold seemed to be enjoying the ride as his trembling vanished; also it went unaware for Shadow that the person started to nuzzle closer to his neck, taking into the wonderful scent of the Ultimate Life Form or being mesmerized from the sight of every working muscle under the ebony pelt.

It was then the Mobian felt being yanked down and left on the floor when Shadow entered a room.

"Stay here!" the ebony shouted and had only that much time to turn around and punch the flying zombie at him, sending it back on the other that just entered the door way. The two other zombies got in the room by climbing the walls making holes in the metal covered surface with their claws and waited before making the next attempt of attack. Shadow got the needed time and took a fighting stance in front of the covering Mobian. Now, he also had a better view on the Runners that managed to trap him. He would have blinked, if not the possibility of losing eye contact with his enemies. Some of the persuading monsters were no other than the members of Team Chaotix and surprisingly they were quite in a good shape for zombies, looking so much different from those that Shadow fought so far. The rotting of their skin wasn't present on the dead bodies, neither their body parts were missing. The hedgehog would have consider them as being dead only few minutes long, but he clearly knew that they had died some years ago, particularly Espio the Chameleon, who volunteered in a rescue mission, being the most capable of surviving as a ninja, still he had to sacrifice his life. Shadow had to leave him behind that day... The clouds of a forming memory were blow up by a shake of his head. He couldn't let himself got distracted.

The two earlier kicked out zombies Vector the Crocodile and an armadillo returned to their companions and with a howl lurked on the Ultimate Life Form and he was ready for them. Their clawed hands were swinging at his head, but Shadow managed to avoid everyone of the swing, not moving from his spot at all, then he got the occasion and with his leg he struck the crocodile zombie in the stomach and held it like that what felt like eternity transmitting his chaos energy straight to his hover skate. The zombie couldn't notice when the chaos energy started burning over its skin, not when it went flying the second time. The corpse landed between its companions convulsing and rolling on the floor. The three other hissed loudly when the chaos spears went suddenly flying at them, but it was only a distraction as Shadow took out his gun and shot in the armadillo's leg, blood spread on the floor. After that only two zombies were in state to continue the fight. The ones that the whole time, were keeping their distance from the ebony hedgehog.

The youngest and dead Team Chaotix member, Charmy bee, detached itself from the wall and went in a random flying movement around Shadow. The hedgehog had to duck to the floor as the zombie was aiming at his head. It was the smallest of the zombies and it was the hardest to shot down, he couldn't use his spears as the civilian could get hurt and the bullets weren't better.

Concentration was the key to get it finally shot. The bee was only a mindless zombie (while being alive not the brightest either) moving in a pattern that the body remembered before getting killed. Shadow waited for the perfect moment and took it down. The sound of his gun shot was strangely followed by a scream. He turned sharply to see the source of the cry. It was the hooded Mobian, fighting for release form the dead chameleon's hold.

While struggling with his captor the hood fell down, uncovering his face and the long blue quills. The ebony hedgehog had the shock of his life. The one that he was trying to protect was no other than...

"Sonic..." he managed to whisper, being stunned and before he could do something more he was sent to the floor by a dead weight, the three other zombies. He tried to kick them of, but they had a firm hold. And a chaos blast was out of question in this situation.

"Sonic! Damn it!" he shouted from his position, aware that the other hedgehog was in deep danger, especially that his rival had let himself being carried, not while ago. It could only meant how in a bad condition was the blue one, "Try to run you idiot!"

Then he noticed something odd. The Faker was literally holding his laughing.

"You should have seen your face, Shads," he smiled to the grounded hedgehog, before turning to the zombie "Let me go."

The chameleon obediently took his hands off and stood beside, waiting for new orders.

Black ears went flat against Shadow's skull, he didn't understand the situation; it was so unreal that if he didn't know that the plague was actually real he would have thought that Sonic just got all his friends into one hell of a television like prank.

"I like that look," the blue hedgehog said while lowering himself to Shadow's face and warping gently his hands on Shadow's cheeks, "So much better from that emotionless mask."

The Ultimate Life Form couldn't have not notice how the Speedster's hands were cold in touch against his muzzle, as well that every move was stiff. Whatever the reason was for that was less important than the fact that the hedgehog was able to give orders to the zombies!

But the thought's were for some reason blurred, he even forgot that he was laying on the floor hold to it by the Runners, he just couldn't leave his eyes from those of the blue hedgehog's.

"Knock him out" Sonic said, but the words and the meaning were undetected by Shadow, he only saw the movement of paler than peach lips, before he felt the chameleon's hand on a pressure point, knocking him out to the world of the dreaming.


End file.
